Condiment holder



NOV. 6, 1934. G. D. BURNS 1,979,446

CONDIMENT HOLDER Filed March 2, 1934 Quiz/W 24 ATTORNEY,

Patented Nov. 6, 1934 1,979,446 I CONDIMENT HOLDER George D. Burns, St. Albans, N. Y. 7 Application March 2, 1934, Serial No. 713,635

7 Claims.

The invention relates to condiment holders, and more particularly to an article of this type adapted for use when dispensing different kinds of condiments such as salt and pepper as well.

Heretofore, it has been proposed to provide articles of this type, but notwithstanding that various structures have been employed, the manufacturing difiiculties and the arrangement of parts have been such as to preclude an extensive adoption and use of such articles.

One difliculty with condiment holders of the type to which my invention relates is that notwithstanding that separate compartments are provided for the different condiments, and that different forms of valve mechanisms have been provided to permit by a selective operation thereof, the delivery of either condiment, the control of the escape of the condiment from the compartment has been such that when it is desired to use one condiment for savoring food, there is apossibility that a small amount of the other condiment may be delivered at the same time because of an accumulation of this condiment between the valve mechanism and the delivery openings.

It has been the usual practice with such holders to providea flat top having a group of separate small sifter openings for each condiment, compartment and a valve mechanism whereby one group of openings will be closed when the other group of openings is open. In some forms of such devices, obstructions are formed in the condiment holder itself, and the construction and arrangement of the movable valve mechanisms has been such as to actually convey the condiment from one compartment into the compartment for the other condiment. 7

With the above conditions in mind, I have provided a multiple compartment condiment holder having a top closureprovided with a single discharge opening through which the condiment in either compartment is delivered, according to the setting of the valve mechanism. This mechanism is so spaced from the single outlet opening and in relation to the compartments as to ensure the delivery of but a single condiment as determined by the setting of the valve and the delivery of all condiments passing the valve, so that with the next use of the holder, there can be no accumulation of either kind of condiment adjacent the opening.

This closure is so formed as to not only direct all of the condiments passing through the valve to the discharge opening, but to cause a sortof spraying of the condiment as it leaves the opening. This opening is of sufficient capacity to avoid the necessity for any violent shaking of the holder so that the spraying may be kept within the range of the food upon which it is to 60 be applied.

The valve structure itself is so constructed as to present a barrier between the moving parts thereof and the separate compartments of the holder so as to preclude the conveyance of a condiment from one compartment to the other by the movable valve member, the barrier having a tight joint with the top of the container and being immovable with relation toeither compartment, so as to prevent condiment from one compartment passing to the other compartment across the partition in the container.

It is essential that the top be readily removable from the body of the holder, and be readily disassembled to permit cleaning of the parts thereof, and that the valve mechanism be readily separable from and replaceable in the top proper. The construction and arrangement of parts thereof must be such as to avoid likelihood of the breakage or disarrangement of parts during 8 cleaning and when removing and mounting the valve mechanism in the top.

A condiment holder embodying the invention has parts so constructed and combined as to permit the production of the article at a moderate cost since' the top and the valve mechanism consist of but few parts which may be readily formed of sheet metal and assembled by simpl operations.

The invention consists primarily in a condiment holder embodying therein a container having a partition extending to the plane of the top thereof and dividing it into two separate compartments, a top for said container having converging walls, and a top opening axially of the container, a barrier plate carried by said topand bearing against the top of the container and said partition and having openings therethrough communicating with said compartments respectively, a valve gate slidably mounted upon said barrier plate between said barrier plate and the converging walls of said top, having dimen-'- sions to permit the selective exposure of either of the openings in said barrier plate, an actuating stem for said gate passing through said top, and a spring acting upon said gate; and in such other novel features of construction and combination of parts as are hereinafter set forth and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended. 11o

Referring to the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side view of a condiment holder embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section therethrough;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a plan View of the container with the top removed.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, the container proper is shown at 10, said container being generally rectangular in cross section with its side walls converging from the bottom toward the top thereof so as to atford a wide base and a narrow top. This container may be formed of any desired material, although preferably it is made from a plastic composition of a phenol formaldehyde product commonly known as bakelite. When made of such a composition it is preferable to make the bottom 11 of a separate piece from the rest of the container and cement it in place. This structural detail, however, is not essential if the container be made of metal or of glass.

Within the container, and preferably formed integrally with the opposite side walls thereof, is a partition 12 extending from the bottom to the plane of the top of the container, this partition dividing the container into two separate compartments 13 and 14, one of which may be slightly larger than the other because of the greater use of salt than of pepper.

Toward the top of the container 10 is a stop bead 15, the portion 16 of the outer wall of the container above this bead having vertical side Walls to facilitate the mounting and the removal of the top upon the container. One wall of the portion 16 is provided with a plurality of nubs 1'7, while the opposite wall is provided with a single nub 18, these nubs being provided and arranged as shown with the two-fold object of securing the top upon the container and serving as a guide to ensure accuracy in the locating of the top.

The top of the container consists of a drawn metal shell having a base 19 corresponding with the configuration of the top portion 16 of the container. This base, as shown, is rectangular in form, and has two outwardly formed depressions 20 in one wall thereof in a position to engage the nubs 17 upon the portion 16 and a single outwardly formed depression 21 upon the opposite wall adapted to engage the nub 18.

Above the base 19 the walls of the top shell converge toward each other, as shown at 22, leaving at the apex, a single discharge opening 23. In this manner, any condiment allowed to flow into the shell flows down an inclined surface for a short distance before passing through the opening 23 so as to scatter the grains of the condiment and give a spraying eflfect as the condiment leaves the said opening.

In the drawing, the upper portion of the shell is shown as being of the general form of a truncated pyramid, but this particular form is mere- 1y to harmonize the top with the base which is substantially rectangular in cross section.

Positioned within the shell at the base of the converging walls 22 is a barrier plate 24 adapted to rest upon the top of the walls of the container 10 and of the partition 12 therein in a manner to form an effective seal for the top of the container so as to prevent the condiment in one compartment 13 passing the barrier 12 and entering the compartment 14, or vice versa. The barrier plate 24 presents a flat smooth surface toward the compartments 13 and 14 and has two openings or ports 25 and 26 therein, one of said ports being positioned above the compartment 13 and the other above the compartment 14. This location of the ports brings them to a point eccentric to the axis of the discharge opening 23 so that any condiment passing through these openings is directed against the walls 22 of the upper part of the top at one side of the opening 23, thus ensuring that spraying effect above referred to, and preventing the delivery of a stream of the condiment from the container directly through said opening 23.

The barrier plate 24 is provided with upwardly directed side flanges 27 and 28, a portion of each side flange being turned inwardly of the plate, as shown at 29 and 30, to form guides for a slidable valve gate 31 bearing upon that surface of the barrier plate presented toward the opening 23.

Carri-ed by the valve gate is a stem 32 projecting through an opening in the wall of the base 16, the portion of said stem exposed exteriorly of said top having a push button 33 screw threaded or otherwise removably secured to said stem.

Secured to the barrier plate 24 is a looped spring 34, a portion of which, adjacent the loop, bears upon the side flange 28 which is inturned slightly to provide a bearing for this portion of the spring. The end of the spring bears upon the end of the stem 32.

The dimensions of the barrier plate 24 are of sufficient width to have a free sliding fit in the guides 29 and 30 and of a length to permit the selective opening of the openings or ports 25 and 26. Preferably, this length is such that the port 25 will be normally open when the valve slide is set by the tension of the spring 34. If desired, the gate may have a notch in one end thereof, as shown at 35, to ensure a more rapid exposure of the port 26 with manual actuation of the valve.

It will be noted that the container proper may be economically produced by molding operations, and requires no finishing of any kind excepting the mounting of the bottom 11 therein, and this is a simple matter. The top of the container, excepting the spring 34 and the stem 32, consists of but three parts, one of which involves simple blanking and drawing operations, another of which, the gate, involves merely a blanking operation, and the third of which, the barrier, requires merely simple blanking and bending operations.

When the top is produced in the manner shown in the drawing, there are two simple soldering operations, the attachment of one end of the spring 34 of one of the guides 29, and the attachment of the stem 32 to said gate.

The top has a slip connection, with co-operating locking nubs and notches, with the container, so that it may be readily removed, and the arrangement of the nubs is such as to ensure the top always having the same position upon the container, which is necessary to ensure a control of the delivery of the desired condiment.

The side flanges 2'7 and 28 upon the barrier plate have the three-fold function of stiffening said plate, aifording a desired frictional area between the plate and the base 16 of the top, and ensuring the desired close contact of the barrier plate with the top of the container by contact of said flanges with the converging walls 22 of the top.

In assembling the parts of the top, it is merely necessary, after the attachment of the spring to the barrier plate and the stem to the gate, to fit the gate to the guides 29 and 30 and position the barrier plate within the top by passing the stem 32 through the opening in the base 16. The push button 33 is then connected with the stem. When it is desired to disassemble the top in order to clean its parts, said push button is removed from the stem and the barrier plate 24 is forced out of engagement with the base 16 to an extent to permit it to drop from the top. In cleaning, the gate 31 may be removed from its guides, thus permitting the exposure of all surfaces.

When it is desired to use salt, the user merely tips the container and a small stream of salt will pass through the port 25 and impinge upon the adjacent converging side wall 22 of the upper part of the top where it will be dispersed and deliver-ed through the single opening 23 in a light spray.

It is obvious that all of the salt will pass freely through said opening and that there can be no clogging of the opening by an accumulation of salt.

If it be desired to use pepper, it is merely necessary to press the push button 35, thus actuating the valve gate 31 to an extent to close the port 25 and expose the port 26. Pepper does not flow as rapidly as salt, owing to its lower specific gravity, and it is therefore desirable to provide the notch 35 so as to provide a more rapid opening of this port than would otherwise occur. As with the delivery of salt, there is no tendency of any part of the pepper to accumulate in or about the discharge opening 23, and the location of the valve gate 31 between the barrier plate 24 and the converging walls 22, and the form of this gate, will effectively prevent any accumulation of either salt or pepper about the top in a manner to produce any material mixture of the two. In fact, with the movement of the valve gate, there is a substantial clearing of either condiment from the top of the barrier plate, or a covering of this by the gate during its movement.

The top may be readily removed to permit the re-filling of the container.

A showing of the holder in the drawing is upon a larger scale than the actual device, and the ports 25 and 26 may be considerably smaller than shown in the drawing, or may be increased in number and made of smaller size, if desired. I have found, in actual practice, that but a single port communicating with each compartment is required, and that this port communicating with the compartment 13 may be sufficiently large to prevent any clogging thereof by salt during damp weather.

If any salt should accumulate in the port 25, it is immaterial since it cannot be delivered when the gate 31 is so set as to permit the delivery of pepper.

The holder of the invention may be produced for a very few cents. I preferably make the container proper of bakelite, or other similar material, since this permits its production in various colors which is very desirable with the present modes of decorating rooms. All of the parts of the top may be made of sterling silver, German silver or chromium plated soft sheet metal stock, or any other material susceptible of being produced in the manner above described and of receiving a pleasing finish.

The mounting of the valve gate 31, this valve being a flat sheet metal plate, upon the surface of the barrier presented toward the opening 23,

and the locating of the spring 34 between these parts and the converging walls 22 of the top, not only avoids any obstructions within the container, but so positions these parts that there is no tendency, particularlyof the salt, to so clog the valve gate as to interfere with its free movement.

It is not my intention to limit the invention to the precise details of construction shown in the drawing, it being apparent that such may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent, is:

1. A condiment holder embodying therein a container having a partition extending to the plane of the top thereof and dividing it into two separate compartments, a top for said container having converging walls, and a top opening axially of the container, a barrier plate carried by said top and bearing against the top of the container and said partition and having openings therethrough communicating with said compartments respectively, a valve gate slidably mounted upon said barrier plate between said barrier plate and the converging walls of said top, having dimensions to permit the selective exposure of either of the openings in said barrier plate, an actuating stem for said gate passing through said top, and a spring acting upon said gate.

2. A condiment holder embodying therein a container having a partition extending to the plane of the top thereof and dividing it into two separate compartments, a top for said container having converging walls, and a top opening axially of the container, a barrier plate carried by said top and bearing against the top of the container and said partition and having openings therethrough communicating with said compartments respectively, upwardly directed side flanges thereon, portions of which are bent inwardly of said flanges to form valve gate guides, a valve gate slidably mounted in said guides between said barrier plate and the converging walls of said top, having dimensions to permit the selective exposure of either of the openings in said barrier plate, an actuating stem for said gate passing through said top, and a spring acting upon said gate.

3. A condiment holder embodying therein a container having a partition extending to the plane of the top thereof and dividing it into two separate compartments, a top for said container having converging walls, and a top opening axially of the container, a barrier plate carried by said top and bearing against the top of the container and said partition and having openings therethrough communicating with said compartments respectively, a valve gate formed of flat, imperforate sheet metal slidably mounted upon said barrier plate between said barrier plate and the converging walls of said top, having dimensions to permit the selective exposure of either of the openings in said barrier plate, an actuating stem for said gate passing through said top, and a spring acting upon said gate.

4. A condiment holder embodying therein a container having a partition extending to the plane of the top thereof and dividing it into two separate compartments, a top for said container having converging walls, and a top opening axially of the container, a barrier plate carried by said top and bearing against the top of the container and said partition and having openings therethrough communicating with said compartments respectively, upwardly directed side flanges thereon, portions of which are bent inwardly of said flanges to form valve gate guides, a valve gate of a width to slidabiy engage said guides and of a length to close one of said openings and expose the other, slidably mounted in said guides be tween said barrier plate and the converging walls of said top, an actuating stern for said gate passing through said top, and a spring acting upon said gate.

5. A condiment holder embodying therein a container having a partition extending to the plane of the top thereof and dividing it into two separa'e compartments, a top for said container having converging walls, and a top opening axially or" the container, a bar 'ier plate carried by said top and bearing against the top of the container and said partition and having openings therethrough communicating with compartments respectively, upwardly directed side flanges thereon, portions of which are bent inwardly of said flanges to form valve gate guides, valve gate slidably mounted in said between said barrier plate and the converging walls of said top, having dimensions to permit the selective exposure of either of the openings in said plate, an actuating stern for said gate passing through said top, and a looped secured to one of said side the opposite flange adjacent its loop and having its end engaging said stern.

6. A rectangular container having upwardly converging sides, a bead adjacent the top thereof, and a rectangular portion having vertical si es above said bead, one of the walls of said rectangular portion having a plurality of nubs formed integrally therewith, and the opposite wall having a single nub, a top for said container having a rectangular base provided with outwardly formed depressions corresponding in number and arrangement with the nubs upon the rectangular portion of said container and upwardly converging walls, and a top opening axially of the container, a barrier plate carried by said top and bearing against the top of the container and said partition and having openings therethrough communicating with said compartments respectively, a valve gate slidably mounted upon said barrier plate between said barrier plate and the converging walls of said top, having dimensions to permit the selective exposure of either of the openings in said barrier plate, an actuating stem for said gate passing through said top, and a spring acting upon said gate.

'7. A. rectangular container having upwardly converging sides, a bead adjacent the top thereof, and a rectangular portion having vertical sides above said bead, one of the walls of said rectangular portion having a plurality of nubs formed integrally therewith, and the opposite wall having a single nub, a top for said container having a rectangular base provided with outwardly formed depressions corresponding in number and arrangement with the nubs upon the rectangular portion of said container and upwardly converging walls, and a top opening axial- 1y of the container, a barrier plate carried by said top and bearing against the top of the container and partition and having openings therethrough communicating with said compartments respectively, upwardly directed side flanges thereon, portions or" which are bent inwardly of said flanges to to in valve gate guides, a valve gate of a width to slidably engage said guides and of a length to close one of said openings and expose the other, slidably mounted in said guides between said barrier plate and the converging walls of said top, an actuating stein for said gate passing through said top, and a looped spring secured to one of said side flanges, engaging the opposite flange adjacent its loop and having its end engaging said stem.

GEORGE D. BURNS. 

